The invention relates to photography and cameras and more particularly relates to a camera frame assembly having a shutter that slides forward and back with a zoom lens.
Many cameras, particularly one-time-use cameras, have single bladed impact shutters. This type of shutter has a shutter that pivots about a point offset from an exposure opening. The shutter has a first portion that covers an exposure aperture and a second portion, on the other side of the pivot point, that is struck to momentarily open the shutter. The shutter is biased closed by a biasing spring. The shutter, or a lever connected to the shutter, is struck by a fast moving lever, often referred to as a xe2x80x9chigh energy leverxe2x80x9d. Some other impact shutters operate in a similar manner, but have more than one blade.
Energy is typically supplied to a high energy lever by one or more springs that are biased (also referred to as xe2x80x9cchargedxe2x80x9d) by a film transport mechanism during the advancing of a film frame. After biasing, the high energy lever is latched by another part. The latching is released by the shutter release. The location and operation of a high energy lever in a camera are, thus, constrained by required interactions with other camera components. Many cameras have high energy levers that pivot a lever arm about a center point to impact the shutter. Others have a high energy lever that slides to translate a portion of the high energy lever against the shutter.
With simple cameras having fixed focus lenses, the separation between the shutter and the high energy lever can remain fixed. If the lens has a long focal length, then the high energy lever may be quite long. The shutter is near the lens at the forward end of a light baffle or lens barrel. The film transport is near the film near the opposite end of the baffle or barrel. The main portion of the high energy rotates or slides near the film transport mechanism and an arm or striker of the high energy lever extends forward to the shutter. If the baffle or barrel is long, then the arm is likewise long. U.S. Patent No. 4,595,269 and Japanese patent publication JP 2-105127, published Apr. 17, 1990, both disclose cameras having long high energy levers. In both cases, the high energy levers are also stepped one or more times. These kinds of long high energy lever arms have a risk of bending during use, particularly when used at a relatively high ambient temperatures. This degrades the accuracy of shutter speeds and exposure times and can degrade the quality of pictures taken.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,280 discloses a camera having a retractable lens barrel and a variable length operating mechanism for a shutter. In the camera, an elongate operation arm extends forward from an operation plate. A release lever has a belt crank shape having two oppositely directed legs. The release lever extends backwards toward the operation plate. One of the legs of the release lever contacts the operation arm and is moved along the operation arm when the lens barrel is retracted. When a shutter button on the camera is pressed, the operation plate and operation arm move (the operation plate is spring biased opposing this movement), operating the release lever. These features are biased in the opposite direction from the biasing of a shutter driver for an impact shutter.
It would therefore be desirable to have an improved camera in which an impact shutter can be moved forward and back relative to a camera frame and a shutter driver can be mounted on the frame.
The invention is defined by the claims. The invention, in broader aspects, provides a camera frame assembly having a frame that defines an optical axis. A shutter driver is mounted to the frame. The shutter driver selectively deflects from a charged state to a discharged state. A shutter is movable, relative to the frame, in directions parallel to the optical axis, between a inner position and an outer position. The shutter is pivotable about a pivot axis, relative to the frame, from a closed position to an open position by the deflecting of the shutter driver from the charged state to the discharged state. A shaft supports the shutter. The shaft is longitudinally aligned with the pivot axis. The shaft extends between the shutter and the frame.
It is an advantageous effect of the invention that an improved camera is provided in which an impact shutter can be moved forward and back relative to a camera frame and a shutter driver can be mounted on the frame.